Frosty The Snowman (1969)
Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and currently distributed by Universal Television. It is the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The special first aired on December 7, 1969 on the CBS television network in the United States; it had been airing annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season until 2018. The special was based on the Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson song of the same name. It featured the voices of comedians Jimmy Durante as the film's narrator (Durante's final performance in a film), Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle the Magician, and Jackie Vernon as Frosty. The special's story follows a group of school children who build a snowman called Frosty and place a magic hat on his head, which makes him come to life with enchanted power. But after noticing the high hot temperature and fearing that he would melt, Frosty, along with a young girl named Karen and a rabbit named Hocus Pocus, must go to the North Pole to be safe from melting. Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass wanted to give the show and its characters the look of a Christmas card, so Paul Coker, Jr., a greeting card and Mad magazine artist, was hired to do the character and background drawings. The animation was produced by Mushi Production in Tokyo, Japan, with Hanna-Barbera staffer Yusaku "Steve" Nakagawa and then-Mushi staffer Osamu Dezaki (who is uncredited) among the animation staff. Durante was one of the first people to record the song when it was released in 1950 (at the time the song had slightly different lyrics); he re-recorded the song for the special. Rankin/Bass veteran writer Romeo Muller adapted and expanded the story for television as he had done with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. TV Guide ranked the special number 4 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.1 Plot In a school on Christmas Eve, a teacher hires Professor Hinkle, an inept magician, to entertain her class for their Christmas party. After fumbling a trick, he throws his hat away in disgust. It then bounces off the trash can and release his white rabbit, Hocus Pocus, who wears the hat and humiliates Hinkle (much to the children's amusement). Class is dismissed and the children go to play in the snow where they build a snowman. After debating and rejecting several names, a girl named Karen chooses the name "Frosty." Hocus comes out of the school with the hat, which is then caught in a gust of wind until Karen grabs it and puts on Frosty's head, causing him to magically come to life. When Hinkle sees this, he takes the hat back, turning the snowman back to his previous in-animated self. Hinkle refuses to give the hat back, planning to use the obviously-magical hat to become rich. However, Hocus brings the hat back to the children which bring Frosty back to life. During the celebrations with the children, Frosty feels the temperature rising and worries he'll melt. The children suggest putting him on the next train to the North Pole, where he will never melt and they parade throw town on the way to the train station. This shocksg several townspeople, including a traffic cop who accidentally swallows his whistle. Because they have no money for tickets, Hocus, Frosty, and Karen sneak aboard a refrigerated boxcar on a northbound train. Hinkle clings to the undercarriage of the caboose of the same train, scheming to recover the magic hat. As the train continues northward, Frosty notices Karen getting colder and realizes that she has to get out as soon as possible. When the freight train stops to let a passenger train full of Christmas travelers pass, the group disembark in search of somewhere to warm Karen. Hinkle sees the group walking away and jumps off the train as well. By nightfall, Frosty, Karen, and Hocus struggle through the woods, Hocus convinces a group of animals to build a campfire for Karen. Fearing that Karen still cannot survive for long in the cold weather, Frosty asks Hocus who might be able to help them. Hocus suggests the United States Marines and President of the United States, before suggesting Santa Claus. Frosty agrees and Hocus hops off to get Santa. Soon after, Hinkle catches up to Frosty and Karen, extinguishes the fire, and forcefully tries to steal Frosty's hat. Frosty and Karen flee with Karen riding on Frosty's back as he belly-whops down the hill. At the bottom of the slope, Karen and Frosty discover a greenhouse filled with Christmas poinsettias. Despite Karen's objections, Frosty steps inside the warm greenhouse with her, suggesting that he could afford to lose a little weight while she warms up. When Hinkle arrives, he closes the door trapping Frosty and Karen inside. Meanwhile, Hocus leads Santa to the greenhouse, only to find a heartbroken Karen crying over a melted Frosty. Santa explains that Frosty cannot permanently melt. Because he is made of Christmas snow, Frosty will always come back every winter. He then opens the greenhouse door, letting in a magical gust of "December Wind", reviving Frosty. Just as they pair are about to put Frosty's hat back on, Hinkle arrives and demands its return. Santa threatens never to give him any Christmas presents for the rest of his life if he dares to touch the hat's brim with one finger. Santa then tells him to go home and write his apologies so that he might get a new hat on Christmas morning. Santa then brings Frosty back to life and Karen, Hocus, and Frosty celebrate. Later, Santa takes Karen home and Frosty to the North Pole, with Santa and Frosty promising to return every year on Christmas Day. Main characters . Frosty the Snowman - the main protagonist, an anthropomorphic and childlike snowman who comes to life by the magic hat. . Karen - an elementary school-age child who gives Frosty his name and accompanies him on his journey north. . Hocus Pocus - Professor Hinkle's stunt rabbit, disloyal to its owner and friendly helper to Karen and Frosty. . Professor Hinkle - the main antagonist, an inept magician who discards his hat but goes to extreme lengths to get it back. . Santa Claus . The Narrator: - A wise gentleman who resembles Jimmy Durante. Voice cast . Jackie Vernon as Frosty . Jimmy Durante as himself (Narrator) . June Foray as Karen (original airing, vocal effects in later airings), Karen's friends (original airing, some lines in later airings), schoolteacher, and Hocus Pocus . Suzanne Davidson as Karen (later airings, uncredited) . Greg Thomas as Karen's friends (later airings, uncredited) . Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle . Paul Frees as the traffic cop, ticket man, and Santa Claus Production credits . Produced and Directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass . Written by Romeo Muller . Based on "Frosty the Snowman" by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins . Character Designer: Paul Coker, Jr. . Continuity Designer: Don Duga . Sound Effects Engineers: Jim Harris and Phil Kaye . Re-Recording Mixer: Bob Elder (uncredited) . Editorial Supervisor: Irwin Goldress . Animation by Mushi Studios . Animation Supervisor: Steve Nakagawa . Animation Director: Osamu Dezaki (uncredited) . Animators: Akio Sugino and Sadao Miyamoto (uncredited) . Musical Director: Maury Laws Home Video VHS and LaserDisc Family Home Entertainment released Frosty the Snowman on VHS as part of the Christmas Classics in 1989 and 1993, with multiple re-prints throughout the 1990s. It was paired with The Little Drummer Boy on LaserDisc in 1992. Upon its 1989 and 1993 releases, the special was also bundled in box sets with the other Rankin/Bass Christmas specials including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, the 1973 Chuck Jones holiday special, A Very Merry Cricket and the sequel Frosty Returns which aired on CBS in 1992. In 1998, Sony Wonder and Golden Books Family Entertainment released the special on VHS, and also paired it with these other Rankin/Bass Christmas specials including Cricket on the Hearth in the separate Holiday Classics Collection box sets. DVD and Blu-ray The special was also released on DVD by Sony Wonder and Classic Media in 2002 and 2004, and by Genius Entertainment in 2007. Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment released it on DVD and Blu-ray on October 12, 2010, and on the DVD/Blu-ray combo pack on November 6, 2012. Most DVD releases also include Frosty Returns. On September 8, 2015, Classic Media released both the special and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town''in their 45th Anniversary Collector's Edition on Blu-ray and DVD in addition to the 50th Anniversary release of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 2014. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a Deluxe Edition of the special, along with other specials on Blu-ray and DVD in 2018. Characters Frosty.jpeg|Frosty Karen.jpeg|Karen Professor Hinkle.jpeg|Professor Hinkle Santa Claus.jpeg|Santa Claus Jimmy Durante.jpeg|Jimmy Durante Ticket Guy.jpeg|Ticket Guy Traffic Cop.jpeg|Traffic Cop Teacher.jpeg|Teacher Category:Frosty The Snowman